Michigan allows hunters into park

Goal is to cut in half size of deer herd at P.J. Hoffmaster.

Goal is to cut in half size of deer herd at P.J. Hoffmaster.

November 26, 2005

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) -- The state is sending hunters into P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in an effort to cut the park's deer herd in half. Fifty hunters will seek out white-tailed deer during a hunt today and Sunday. It's believed to be one of the first times the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has permitted hunting in a state park in order to thin a deer herd, The Muskegon Chronicle reported. Another hunt is planned for Dec. 10-12. While hunting is permitted in several state parks, it is normally banned at Hoffmaster, which is located in the Muskegon area. But the deer are clearing native vegetation and rare plants from the forest floor, biologists said. Officials expect about 60 deer to be killed this weekend, said Charles Ehrlich, Hoffmaster park manager. "If we take more than 50 deer, we'll consider the hunt successful," he said. Park officials estimate that roughly 400 deer are part of a herd that moves in and out of the park. DNR officials said the number is more than the 1,200-acre park can sustain without suffering irreparable damage to the vegetation that forms the foundation of the park's ecosystem. The herd has already wiped out most of the park's trademark trillium -- forcing the renaming of the annual Trillium Festival. Less hunting, increased residential development and locals who feed the deer have helped fuel the growth of the herd. "The real cause of excessive numbers of deer is supplemental feeding," said Bob Doepker, a DNR biologist. "Artificial feeding attracts the animals, and you can increase the deer numbers very rapidly, almost exponentially." He said feeding deer encourages the animals to congregate in small areas and can increase reproduction, spread disease and cause damage to vegetation. Some Upper Peninsula communities have banned deer feeding, he said. People have been ticketed inside Hoffmaster for feeding deer, said park naturalist Elizabeth Brockwell-Tillman. She said a municipal ban would help the park's ecosystem. Rules of the weekend hunt require hunters to stay at least 150 yards away from any occupied structure. They are required to use shotguns or muzzleloaders, which have a shorter shoot distance that high-powered rifles. "We've taken every precaution we can think of," Ehrlich said. "We hope it's a safe hunt and that it's successful."